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More than 44,000 candidates across South Sudan have begun sitting for the 2025 Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) examinations.
Josephine Lagu Yanga, Vice President for the Service Cluster,
highlighted the scale of participation as thousands of students took their
seats in examination halls nationwide.
“This year, the Examination Council has registered a
significant number of candidates across the country. We have 44,364 candidates
from 510 schools, sitting their examinations in 349 examination centers
nationwide,” Lagu said while addressing the candidates at the official
bell-ringing ceremony in Juba on Monday.
“I urge stakeholders to refrain from any form of
malpractice. Let us protect the credibility of our education system. Success
achieved through honest efforts builds a stronger future, not only for our
children, but for the entire Republic of South Sudan.”
Dr. Kuyok Abol Kuyok, Minister of General Education and Instruction,
stressed that any attempts to interfere with the examinations will be met with
severe consequences.
“Any form of malpractice or malpractice will not be tolerated. I want to assure you that it will be severely dealt with during and after the examinations. Individuals and schools involved in such activities will be punished,” Abol asserted.
South Sudan has long struggled with exam malpractice in primary and secondary schools.
In 2023, strict measures were introduced to curb cheating and paper leaks, known as “machot,” significantly reducing such cases.
Despite the large number of candidates sitting this year,
officials noted that the total represents a decrease compared to last year’s
cohort.
Dr. Athian Athian Bak, Secretary General of the South Sudan
National Examinations Council, provided a detailed breakdown of who is sitting
for the exams, underlining both gender representation and refugee
participation.
“The total number of male students are 25,863, making 58%.
The females are 18,501, making 42% of the candidates. The refugee number is
667. The males are 428 and females are 239,” Athian stated.
“This year we noticed a decrease in the number of candidates
by 5,604, because last year the number of candidates was 50,004.”
Dr. Athian explained that fewer candidates chose to sit this
year due to increased examination fees and some students opting for the Sudan
curriculum.
“We believe this decrease is attributed to two factors. The first factor is the number of the candidates; many candidates have resorted back to sit using Sudan curriculum. This year we had an examination for Sudan curriculum. We have increased the fees, 120,000 SSP and 220,000 for public and private schools, respectively,” Athian added.